Built in 1989 during the reign of King Houssein, this mosque is dedicated to his grandfather, King Abdullah I, the first monarch of Jordan. This is the only mosque in Amman that openly welcomes all non-Muslim visitors (except for prayer times).

1. What to see

Distinctive features of the fascinating building include the enormous blue dome and the twin minarets. It is said that the mosque can hold up to 10,000 people: 7,000 inside the prayer hall and 3,000 more in the courtyard area.

The heart of the mosque is an octagonal prayer hall with a diameter of 35m, built without any pillars. Inside the hall there is a huge three tiered chandelier, Quaranic inscriptions on the wall and a red carpet with complicated patterns indicating the direction to Mecca. According to some sources, the blue colour of the underside of the dome represents the sky and the gold threads descending to the base stand for the 99 names of Allah. We've to disagree with them because there are all in all 16 Quaranic inscriptions, 64 small windows and the exact amount of light rays is 128. Anyway, the prayer hall is a fine example of a modern architecture that still uses classical motifs.

There are two small museums within the mosque enclosure: one of them is dedicated to the royal family and exhibits photos about them along with models of mosques from entire Jordan. The other one is the Islamic Museum, a collection of old pieces of Muslim art like coins, pottery and stone engravings.

2. When to see

King Abdullah Mosque is open daily 8am-11am and 12:30-2pm each day, except Fridays when it is only open between 8am-10am. It is also open during Ramadan, but expect a bit later openings (museums about 9am). Entry ticket of the mosque also includes the admission to both museums.

3. Location

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